Apparatus for indicating and recording the direction and distance of travel of vehicles



A. E. BREWERTON.. APPARATUS FOR INDIGATING AND RECORDING THE DIRECTION AND DISTANCE 0F TRAVEL 0F VEHICLES.v APPLICATION FILED IuNE 4, 1919.

Patented May 9, 19221.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Sonno INVENTOR HRT/10H /:ffwmm/v.

Y l A. EgBIIEWERIoN. APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND RECORDING THE DIRECTION AND DISTANCE 0F TRAVEL 0E VEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED IuNE4. 1919.

Patented May 9, 1922.

3 SHEETS vSHEET 2.

I Hmmm IIIIIIIIIIIl ICL 7 MUN 4 A. E. BREWERTON. APPARATUS EDN INDICAIING AND RECORDING IIIE DIRECTION AND DISTANCE DE IIIAVEL DE VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. 1919.

1,4l 5,624. Patented May 9. 1922.

IHIIHIIIIIIILIIIIUII I NIIIIIII" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR ERNEST BREWEETON, OF WANDSWORTH COMMON, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE SPERRY GYROSCOPE COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

APPARATUS ron rNDrcA'rrNG AND RECORDING THE DIRECTION AND DISTANCE OF TRAVEL OF VEHICLES.

yApplication 'iled `Tune 4, 1919.

T 0 all w from, 'it 'may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR ERNEST BimwERToN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at. 34 Eatonville Road, lVandsworth Common, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for indicating and Recording the Direction and Distance of Travel ot Vehicles. ot which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for indicating` and recording the direction and distance oi travel of a vehicle and more particularly. to apparatus for recording upon a chart the course of a ship.

According to this invention the apparatus comprises a chart movable in one axis or di rection in its own plane and a carriage carrying a marking device t'or making a record on the chart and movable along an axis at right angles to said first mentioned axis, the

said carriage carrying propelling mechanism which drives the carriage and the chart at speeds the ratio of which is equal to the ratio of the two components of the direction being traversed at any instant by the ship or other vehicle. Preferably the carriage propels itself by means ot' a. wheel frictionally engaging the paper or an intermediate member driving the same, the said wheel being driven at a speed proportional to the speed of the vessel, the axis of the said wheel also being rotatable about an axis in its own plane normal to either the aper or intermediate driving member at the point of contact of the wheel therewith. The carriage mechanism consists ot means for receiving the speed and direction indicating transmissions from the respective apparatus in other parts of the vessel and converting them into the required rotations of the friction wheel, said rotations being about its own axis for speed translation and about the axis within its plane for directional translation. The speed may. be transmitted mechanically if desired but preferably electrically in any suitable way for example, by three phase transmission, step-by-step continuous current motors operated either by single'or multiple contact transmitters, or 'continuous current motors o ierated or controlled by a chaser system. employed driven by a transmitter which is Specification of Letters Patent.

referably astep-bystep motor is Patented May 9, 1922.

serial No. 301,767.

ment of the ship such as the gyro compass transmitter. The carriage of the instrument comprises an arrangement of mechanism carrying the log mot-or and compass motor on rails or guides, the log motor serving to drive the carriage either on its rails or to drive the paper` or both according to the direction of the plane ot' the wheels rotation set by the compass motor. The carriage also carrles aA pencil arm for marking on the paper and accordingly traces the true course of a vessel on the paper as interpreted by the separate components yof motion imparted to the carriage and the paper. Y

In order that the invention may be cle-arly understood and readily carried into effect the same will now be more fully described Wit-h reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one method of carrying the invention into effect and in which Figure l shows a front view 'ot' the complete instrument, c

Figure 2 shows a section on the lineQ-2 in Figure l.

Figure 3 shows a plan of the carriage viewed from the under-side.

Figure et shows a side elevation of the carriage,

Figure 5 shows a plan ot the top-side of the carriage, and

Figures 6 and 7 show. respectively enlarged details of the plan and sectional elevation of the carriage and the details ot transmission to the propelling wheel.y

ln Figures 1 and 2, 'l shows the case 'for containing the instrument, itted with a window 2 through which the course traced by the pencil may be viewed. While it will be evident that the chartor paper may be arranged equally well on a fiat surface mov able by friction lwheel 18, later to be mentioned, I have, for purposes of illustration. shown said chart as comprising a roll of paper 7 carried by rollers 5 and 6. Said roll ot paper may be wound off one roller on to the other. One of these rollers is provided, with a spring connection between its periphery and its centre spindle, this connection having suiiicient tensionto enable] f `roller the pencil carriage 12 is shown as travelling on rails 13 the carriage being provided with three supporting wheels 14, 14

and 14n. The pencil carriage consists of a.

suitable framework carrying two motors,

one y15 of which'is the compass motor or directional .motor7 and the other 16 the log motor. The latter is arranged concentric'ally with the'gear box 17 above it through `which its rotary movement is conveyed to wheel 18 shown in The compass motor the propelling friction Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7. 15 is geared in such a manner as to rotate the gear box in its entirety over the log motor, thus setting the plane of rotation of the propelling wheel in any direction relative to the paper roll above it. The log motor 16 rotates the propelling Wheel 18 about the axis of the Wheel and thus causes the carriage to travelalong the rails or the movement of the paper roll at speeds proportional to the components ot direction and to the speed of the vessel.v y Y t should be observed that the propelling wheel 18 is arranged on a diameter of thev gear box with the axis of the gear box coincident with the-point ofcontact with the intermediate 'troll 11 so thatfrotation of the gear boxy caused by the directional mechanism vof the instrument maintainsa relative ixity of contact Withthe'paper. It should alsoy be observed that the log transmission to the gear box is axially coincident with the gearbox, as shown in Figure 4 in which the log mot-or spindle "19 engages With the notched end of the 'worm spindle 2O (Fim ures 4 and 7 in the centre of the box 1i. This spindle 20 is fitted with a Worm 21 axially coincident with the axis ot the box and in line With the plane of the propelling wheel 18. This `Worm engages with a wheel Q2 at right angles to the propelling wheel. On the spindle Q3 ot the wheel Q2 is a'second worm 24 which engages with a second worm Wheel 25. On the spindle 2G o1" the wheel 25 a third worm 27 is provided which engages with a Worm Wheel 28 carried by the axis of the propellingr wheel 18. lVith this arrangement the log motor runs at a comparatively high speed compared with any speed of directional rotation imparted to the box 17, and by reason ot' this high ratio a complete rotation of the box imposes only a negligible error on the speed transmission.

Several gear boxes may be employed as required in order to furnish different scales of speed translation to the chart. The outer rim 29 of the gear box consists of a greatv wheel which `engages `with a pinionl '30 mounted on the same spindle as an intermediate Wheel 31 which in turn vis driven by a pinion'on the spindle of the compass motor 15, so that the transmissions from the compass are communicated in this Way to` the gear box for the purpose of setting the propelling wheel in the correct direction corresponding to the course. In order to indicate the actual course being steered, compass card indications may be marked on the cylindrical surface 32 ot the gear box, a cross Wire 33 being arranged on the -carringe to form a lubber line so that the gear box functions also as a repeater compass or direction indicator7 said indications being in agreement with the direction traced by the pencil on the roll. Minor details associated Witlrthe instrument consist of means for applying the necessary spring tension to the lever or arm 35 carrying the tracing pen or style these means being shown as consisting ot a springBG. A spring 37 shown attached to the bracket 8 which is pivotallysupported, serves' to maintain the paper roll or band 7 in estate of tension between the rollers so as to eliminate backlash in the driving band or chain- 8.

Further .details shown in the dra-Wings consist of a switch 38 for regulating the supply of electrical current for controlling the apparatus and contacts 39 which arey closed at the limits of movement ofthe env cil arm so as to sound an alarm bel or other signal When the carriage or pencil The case ot reaches the edge of the paper. the instrument is also provided 'with suitablev cable glands 40 for the entrance of the necessary cables communicating with the source of supply and the log and directional mechanism of the vessel. Inside the case is provided a terminal block 41 for these cables and for convenience in adjusting the flexible leads to the movable carriage. A detachable handle 42 on the outside of the case is provided for rotating the roll 5 to allow of av neiv surface on the paper roll to be presented to the tracer. l

The intermediate roll may be? dispensed with and the wheel 18 be arranged to make contact with the paper on the roll The mode of operation of the instrument. is as tolloivsr- With the chart arranged so that the north-south direction thereon is vertical and if the vessel is sailing due north or south the .propelling Wheel 18 is in such a position that its plane is perpendicular to the axis of the roller 11. Consequently the Wheel 18 drives the chart in the direction corresponding to due north and south at a speed proportional to the speed of the ship, the carriage not being moved on the rails in these circumstances. if the course of the ship is l changed to due east and West the compass y ingr the direction and-'distance of .travelfof `a vehicle comprising a chart movable 1n on'e motor 15 moves the Wheel 18 to such a posi* tion that its plane is coincident witha plane containing the axis of the roller '11. The carriage is moved on the rails therefore at a speed proportional to the speed of the ship, the chart or paper strip not being moved at all. For any intermediate course the wheel 18 takes'upy an intermediate position ,to those described and consequently l n Y -movable, .m a direction at right angles to drives'thepaper chart at a speed propor, tional'to`v the ycomponent ofthe speed in theyy north-south direction and drives the "carriage at a speed proportional'to the'v eastwest component of thespeed. Consequently the marking device of the instrument traces out on the chart the course being,r traversed by Athe ship. y

Having now.. partioularlydescribed and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what'manner the same is to be per-'rl formed, declarethat'fvvhatl claim is l. Apparatus for indicating Zand record.

ing the directionand distanceof travel of."l

a vehicle comprising a chart movable in one axis'or direction in its own plane and a carriage carrying a. marking device for making .y a record on the chart and movable along an axis at right angles yto said -rst mentioned axis. the said carriage carrying propelling f mechanism which drives the carriage and the chart at speeds the ratio of which is equal tothe ratio ot the two components of the direction being traversed' atany in# stant by the vehicle.

2. Apparatus for indicatingand record-- axis or direction in its Vown planeand -a carriage carrying a marking vdeviceiyfor' making a record on the chart andmov'able along anxaxis at right angles to said rstf'i proportional to the 'speed of the vehicle through a reduction gearing ofisuch high. ratio that the error introduced by the rotation of the -Whole gearing relative to the driving element therefor due to the setting of the axleof the friction Wheel about the said axis in its own plane is. negligible.

4. Apparatus for indicating thecourse of travel of a vehicle comprising a chart movv able in a given direction., a marking device said first mentioned directiomand means for l `ratio .of certain components of the direction 4being traversed at any instant by the vehicle. I

6. Apparatus for indicating the course of travel of a vehicle `comprisinga chart, a relatively movable carriage, a marking device carried by `said carriage, and means for moving said chartl and carriage at speeds Aproportional res ectively to certainl components of the ve ocity of the vehicle.

L 7; In apparatus for indicating the course of travel'of a vehicle, a chart,.a relatively byisaid carriage, propelling mechanism carrledby said'carriage and 4comprising a de- I Vvice responsive `'tothespeed of vthe `vehicle,

and fa device responsive tofgtheldirection of movable carriage5 a marking. element `carried roo travelthereof,` and means controlled bysaid devices fordrlving said chart and carriage v. fatfspeeds respectively proportional to certain f' 'components of the velocity of the vehicle.

8. In apparatus for indicating` the course nicntionedaxis, the said carriage having' a f -of vtravellof.a vehicle, a movable chart, a

friction Wheel adapted to. drive the"v 'chartQ- `die axle of the wheel being' rotatable-about- .fn axis in the plane of the-Wheel and about 'l which axis it is set according .to the ,direc-ff'-v zion of travel of the .vehicleand'the wheel'. being rotated about itsown a-Xlevat .a'speed proportional to the speed of the vehicle.

3. Apparatus.forfindicating and record-` f ing thedirection and distancel of travelrofzl a vehicle comprising'a chart movable-in one axis .or `directionrin its own plane and@ a carriagev carrying a.I marking device ,for travelo 1 1aLvehicl making a record-on the-chart and movable along an axis at right angles to saioliirst'ffv mentioned axis,`the-sai'd carriage having-'a friction .wheel adapted to drive the v-chartj' the axleof the Wheel beinggrotatable about an axis in the plane; of the Wheel and *about*` carriagehaving a` feed roller adapted 5toV drive said chart, amarking elementr` carried- 'i l bvfsa'id carriage. meansfor varyingthe planaof y rotatlon'iof 'saidrolle'r in accordance with the i direction kof travel` of the vehicle,

a.devicef'res'ponsive-tofthespeed ofthe ve- A,

hicle, and connecting :means between `said l ble limitsjt 'errorjntroduced'r 'ylvarying which axis it-.is set according'to the direc' :51 In'testiinonynvhereof I. ax' my;.signaturev tion of travel of the vehicle' andthe Wheel being rotated about its own axle at a speed i ARTHUR' ERNEST' BREWERTon marking device 

